Massage Therapy Journal Summer 2024

6 • Massage Therapy Journal

Letter from the

President

Career Changes, Career Constants Hola, AMTA Peeps I hope this message finds you well and planning to do something cool with your summer! I am particularly excited about this issue

Now, working with people facing the end of their life took some time for me. It wasn’t until about 10 years ago after facing a significant loss of my own that I got serious and knew the time had come for me to engage with this client demographic. So, I approached a local hospital with an inpatient hospice care facility to inquire about incorporating gentle touch with their patients. Over the next year, we negotiated a contract, and let me tell you that the work I do at the hospice house is incredibly different than the work I do in my office. And while I enjoy working with different populations, I can honestly say that the hospice work is truly a gift. I found myself needing to go further, and in 2020 I completed an End-of-Life Doula course. I can’t begin to tell you how much this learning has enhanced my hospice work. As you can see, my practice has evolved and shifted and changed over the years. But in that evolution are some constants, too. The constancy of the AMTA community. The continual personal growth achieved through continuing education. The continuous growth of the massage profession, advanced by research and the passion of massage therapists like you. Speaking of passion, community and education—I hope to see you all at the 2024 AMTA National Convention, September 12–14 in Tampa, Florida. Register today! Until then, I’m going to grab a blanket, fill a basket with snacks and head to a nearby park for a lovely picnic. It takes ALL of us! Kim

of Massage Therapy Journal because I feel like it encompasses my massage career journey. When I think about when I first started massage to now— all the research that we currently have continually showing the benefits of massage—I’m amazed. Truly, massage has a place throughout our life. Massage Through the Ages One of my very first continuing education courses after graduating from Health Options Institute was pre- and post-natal massage, and I soon found myself working with this client population. Having gone through pregnancy a few times myself, I really felt I could relate and wished that I would have had massage available to me during that time in my life. From there, I enrolled in an infant massage course, and then another one. Then, I was hosting “mommy and me massage” sessions. I found this very rewarding and enjoyed gathering with new mamas and their tiny little babies. I was fascinated how the infants would calm as they received intentional touch. The senior population, too, has always been a constant within my practice. My heart is filled with joy to work with and meet the needs of aging clients. My very first massage client was a young 60-year-old woman. She’s received massage from me almost weekly throughout the years, and we continue our sessions to this day! In our early days of working together, she would tell me after every session: “That was the best massage I ever had!” These days, she assures me: “I don’t think I would be able to get around if I didn’t have my massages.”

ENGAGE WITH AMTA AMTA’S local chapters are a great place to start getting involved. Find yours at amtamassage.org/ chapters.

Fun Fact: National Donut Day is June 3rd. YUM!

Kim Kane Santos AMTA President

amtamassage.org/mtj